1186 January 16, 2025 Little Manatee River State Park

I took one last walk in the community neighboring the campground.  This was a nice place to stay in order to explore and we enjoyed our time here.

Tim drove the RV over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge near Saint Petersburg.  There was a gorgeous rest area right along the water. 

As we crossed the large beautiful bridge, I saw great flocks of white pelicans and dolphins leaping in the water below. 

We passed Tropicana Field.  The huge domed roof of the stadium was ripped off in Hurricane Milton this fall. It will cost more than 55 million dollars and won’t be completed until the 2026 season.

We arrived at Little Manatee River State Park before noon and check-in was not until 3pm.  The campground host shooed us away and we were made to wait in a large parking area.  We received a call shortly after 1pm saying that our site was ready.

We got settled and went out to get fresh water and a few groceries. 

Later, we took our bikes and rode the park road.

I saw what looked like a flat dodgeball in the grass. It was an armadillo and I tried to snap a picture as it waddled away.

This evening, I grilled mushroom and onions and spinach and served the vegetables with orzo and bruschetta…vegetarian and delicious!

1185 January 15, 2025 Clearwater

Another walk on the Pinellas Trail this morning.

After lunch, we drove to Clearwater. We parked at Edgewater Drive Park and took our bikes and cycled into downtown Clearwater. We found Coachman Park and rode along the seawall below the bridge. Tim really wanted to bike across that big tall bridge. We made it to the top of the ramp. He pedaled all the way up and I got off to push. I looked at the steep incline of the span and knew that I would end up pushing my bike all the way to the top of the bridge. I encouraged Tim to go without me. I had a plan to sit on a bench and listen to my book…but he would not leave me. We decided to ride back to the Jeep and drive across the bridge. This proved to be a wise choice. As we made our way back, fat raindrops began to fall. It stopped quickly but the wind made us chilly.

We drove across the bridge to Clearwater Beach. We found fairly cheap public parking and went to see Pier 60. Unfortunately, it was closed because of storm damage.

We walked the paved promenade. This is a beautiful beach. The sand is fine and sugar white. A few people were walking along the shoreline and no one was in the water!

We stopped to watch a construction crew pour concrete.

1184 January 14, 2025 Tarpon Springs

Another great walk in Palm Harbor!

Today, we took the Jeep and drove to nearby Tarpon Springs. We hopped on our bikes and cycled along the sponge docks. Then we did some browsing in the shops. We chose some flavored balsamic vinegars and some orange olive oil.

This is the sponge capital of the world.

Greektown features lots of Greek restaurants and bakeries. I had thought that we would enjoy some Grecian cuisine but everyone we talked to recommended Rusty Bellies. We parked our bikes and we were seated on the heated porch with a view of the water. I had the mussels and Tim enjoyed a poke bowl. The food was fresh and delicious.

We rested this afternoon and then I took another walk near the campground.

This evening, we drove to the causeway and parked on the narrow strip of beach to watch the sunset.

We were too full from lunch and so we skipped dinner tonight!

1183 January 13, 2025 Bike Ride And Beach Dinner

I began the day with a walk…new town…new walk!

Tim did his yoga in the RV but then completed his workout in the campground’s open air gym.

We packed our bike bags and cycled a short distance to the Pinellas Trail. This paved path took us on a pedestrian bridge across the highway and then to the Dunedin Causeway. We biked a little more than 3 1/2 miles and then turned around. It has been a long time since we have ridden and we want to be able to ride again tomorrow! We saw some dolphins cavorting offshore.

We had to walk our bikes across the drawbridge.

These black skimmers were hanging out with the other guys and gulls…Tim said this was a dad joke and NOT funny.

We returned to the campground for some afternoon quiet time. We submitted our bill for the step repair to Tiffin and they are mailing us a check! We made some reservations at Lake Okeechobee.

Later, we went to get some salads for dinner and we took them to Caladesi State Park. We were disappointed to find that most of the park was closed because of hurricane damage. We were able to walk to the beach and we sat on a blanket and enjoyed an early dinner. A single gull sat nearby, glaring at us. He let out a shriek and other gulls came to join him. The birds were bold and brazen. Soon, we had gulls flying overhead just out of arms reach! We swatted and shouted and after several passes, the gulls flew off…all but two. They were vigilant, creeping closer and closer until they were certain that they were not going to be fed.

There was a dredge operating in the gulf. It was bringing sand to the shore and bulldozers were working to push the sand, reconstructing the beach. We could see as we walked back to the jeep, the damage to the bathhouse and ramps. Honeymoon Island State Park is usually reachable by ferry but that too had been disabled. Much of Honeymoon Island beaches were also affected. The power of these storms is fierce and destructive.

I used to pick up beach treasures but we really have no place to save things. I took pictures instead!

1182 January 12, 2025 Palm Harbor

We took the time this morning to get our exercise done. Then, we packed up and left Brooksville. We drove south on Route 19 to the town of Palm Harbor. We are camped at Caladesi RV Park for the next four nights. We spent the day fueling the RV, gathering supplies at Walmart, getting fresh drinking water and groceries, and doing laundry.

I made butter chicken in the crockpot with spinach and garlic pita bread.

We took a ride after dinner to the Dunedin Causeway. We found a place to park on the beach. Lots of people were waiting for the sun to set. There was a large bank of dense clouds on the horizon and the sun dipped behind those clouds without fanfare. This was still the best part of the day.

There is a lot to see and do in the area and we have the next three days to explore!

1181 January 11, 2025 Crystal River

We had lots of overnight rain but by dawn, the rain had stopped. The skies were cloudy but I was able to take a nice walk around the campground.

Today we took a daytrip. We traveled about an hour north on the Suncoast Parkway to the town of Crystal River, “Home of the Manatee.” We had read that because of the Arctic blast and the lower temperatures, the manatees were seeking refuge in the warmer waters of the rivers and springs along the coast to avoid cold stress syndrome.

Nearby Blue Springs State Park hosted almost 800 manatees yesterday…think manatee soup!

Our first stop was Hunter Spring Park. We walked to the edge of the river and thought we saw a few shadows in the water that might have been manatees. There were lots of tour boats in the river. There were also some folks snorkeling and presumably watching manatees.

We talked to some other people at the park who said that they had just come from Three Sisters Springs and there were lots of manatees there. We drove the short distance to the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge. After paying the fee and donning our wristbands, we walked through the park to the boardwalk along the inlet and to the spring areas.

There were more than 200 manatees in the springs today. We watched a mama cow nursing her calf. It was beautiful! Watching these gentle mammals in their natural habitat was amazing.

There are steel bollards that form a gate. This allows the manatees to enter and leave the springs.

As we walked the loop along the river, we saw an otter in the tall grass. It quickly slipped into the water as we approached.

It was windy and chilly and so we ate our picnic lunch in the Jeep. We drove back in a wiggle waggle across the countryside, through neighborhoods, and swampy areas and farmland.

We spent the evening watching playoff football (Tim) and reading (me).

1180 January 9 – 10, 2025 Brooksville

We left Fort Clinch early this morning and traveled west across Florida. We arrived at Camper Holiday RV Park in the afternoon. It was chilly but nice enough to take a good walk. We ate leftovers for our dinner.

It was a nice morning for a walk.

On the day that we left home in the middle of December, our entry steps would not retract. We worked for 2 1/2 hours to try to fix them so that we could get on the road. Finally, Tim pulled the cotter pin and strapped the steps to the chassis. We needed to have the steps repaired. When we pulled in at this campground, there was a mobile RV repair truck parked at the site next door. Our neighbor, Shawn, fixes RV stuff! He was on his way out to dinner yesterday but he agreed to come by this morning and help us. He diagnosed the problem as a faulty magnetic door switch. He called a couple of RV parts places and found something that he thought might work about an hour north, close to Ocala. Tim and I hopped in the Jeep and arrived at the Lazy Days in Wildwood. Dottie was waiting with the part she had in stock. It was not a match. She called a couple of other nearby parts places without success. She could get the part by Monday but by then we will be even further south. I asked if she could have the part delivered to their companion store in Tampa. She checked the computer and found that the part was listed as in stock in her store. It was waiting for another customer who was also waiting on other additional parts. Dottie borrowed the part and sold it to us and reordered another for the other customer. We were able to leave with exactly what we needed…how lucky was that?!? Upon our return, Shawn was able to install the new part. He tested it and everything worked perfectly! Yahoo! We didn’t get much else done, but it is really important to have working steps!

We found nearby BBQ shack, Deep South BBQ, a short distance from the campground and we decided to go there for dinner. The food was hot and delicious!

1179 January 6 – January 8, 2025 Yulee

We left Atlanta on Monday. By the time we had loaded the RV and checked out of the storage facility, it was already late morning. We drove several hours and stayed at a Walmart off of 95 just north of the Florida line.

Tuesday, we arrived at Fort Clinch Sate Park. It was really windy and it was late in the day before it was warm enough to walk in the park and along the beach. We went out for a nice dinner at Salt Life.

Wednesday, we walked and did a couple of errands and then cooked crabcakes. We took dinner and went to visit with Curtis and Janice in Yulee. We had a nice evening telling stories and sharing memories.

1178 October 29, 2024 – January 5, 2025 Family Time

We spent lots of time at home. Our beautiful daughter-in-law, Allison, was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma. We were there to help as she underwent tons of testing and went to many appointments. She began immunotherapy infusions and is now taking oral medication to help to reduce the size of her soft tissue tumor. She has a long journey ahead. Kyle has been a rock. Little Baby Wade is growing quickly and he brings joy to all of us.

We left Baltimore to visit David and his family in Atlanta. We spent the Christmas holiday there and helped to keep the boys entertained during their 18 day winter break. We hiked and played and went to movies and we bowled and baked and did projects and played hotel and went shopping and lots of other stuff! We had so much fun! Oliver and Austin are also growing up too fast!

1177 October 28, 2024 No Place Like Home

We are home. We had quite an amazing trip. Our journey took us through 19 states, 6 national parks, more than 5 national forests and on countless dirt and gravel roads. We really had the opportunity to explore. We enjoyed 8 overnight rooftop tent trips. We slept in extraordinary places. We saw wildlife and birds and plants and mountains and rivers and deserts and there were times that our senses were overwhelmed by the natural world in which we were immersed.

Tim’s favorite adventure was the White Rim Trail. I loved the Jeep rides that we took from Payson to Marble Point and Peek-A-Boo Slot Canyon and White Pocket and White Fold. I also loved touching dinosaur fossils in the wall at Dinosaur National Monument. We loved seeing the elk at Rocky Mountain National Park. Yellowstone was its own kind of special. The scenic drives we took surrounding that park were breathtaking. It is hard to choose favorites. We have lots of beautiful pictures and tons of memories.

It is time to be home now for awhile. We will blog again when it is time to travel.